Isle of Skye

This is my favorite place on earth. You can never imagine how enchanting and fascinating the place is. No photo can ever justify its mysticism and beauty. No words can ever describe its grandeur and exquisiteness. It’s beyond any place that I ever visited. Nothing can beat the experience of seeing turbulent waterfalls in contrast to a placid lake, of endless green meadows in contrast with colorful red and yellow mountains, of being awed with the blue sky in contrast with purplish-reddish-yellowish sunset. It’s like falling in love all over again. hahaha

We took a bus from Glasgow to Portree with other travellers. The view along the way was already a breathtaking delight! We even passed by the Glennfinnan Viaduct! If you don’t know it, it’s the railway viaduct used in the movie Harry Potter. It was incredible how the huge arc has towered over the cold forests and how striking the bridge has spanned over an endless route.

Viaduct

It was a little bit dark when we reached Portree, the capital of the Isle of Skye. The sunset covered the place with a melancholic feeling. Though, I was surprised that the capital is a very small village where everyone knows everyone.

Portree

On our first day, we hiked for four hours just to visit the fairy pools! We were just thankful that it didn’t rain, though I slipped once on a slimy stone path. Good thing, it wasn’t muddy. In case you’re wondering if we ever saw a fairy… unfortunately, we didn’t. Since most places started with “fairy”, we were asking the locals in jest if there were fairies. They said they would only reveal themselves to the kindest and nicest people! Does that mean, we weren’t?? haha.

Fairy PoolRoad to the Fairy Pool

In the afternoon of the same day, we spontaneously rode the bus going north to conquer the astounding fairy glen. I’d rather recommend to visit the fairy glen rather than the fairy pools. The view on the top of the mountain after climbing countless slippery ridges was all worth it. It was totally majestic! It was like being on top of the world!

Fairy glenOn top of the Fairy Glen

The next day offered more exciting adventures. Aside from climbing a 2,359-feet Old Man Of Storr mountain overlooking a calm bay of the Sound of Raasay, the world famous Kilt Rock has a melodramatic effect. It is a waterfall of 180 feet on a cliff gushing into the Sound of Raasay (sea) creating a stunning fairy tale setting! You have the Loch Mealt freshwater lake on your left flowing into the waterfall adjacent to it and ending into the sea on your right. It was like you have everything in one scene! Totally captivating. It felt like I don’t want to leave the place at all.

Old Man of Storr

Kilt Rock Waterfall

We spent four days in Portree and nearby places before we moved to Inverness. There was nothing much to do in Inverness aside from visiting castles like the Urquhart. Since there were too many castles in Ireland, it did not appeal to us. It was just interesting to hear the story of the monster Nessie in Loch Ness (lake/sea). After Inverness, we changed city to see Aberdeen near the North Sea.

All in all, there is nothing grander and more magnificent than Isle of Skye. I feel like a part of me was left. It is more than an experience or an adventure but goes beyond my being.